Improvement in cotton-gins



Cotton Gin.

PatentedV Jan'. 12, i858.

ielNrrnn 'STATES Fries..

PATENT IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-GINS.4

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 19,097, dated January12, 1858.

To all whom it may concernf y Be it known that I, DAVID G. OLMsTnAD, ofVicksburg, in the county of Warren and State of Mississippi, haveinvented a new and Improved Cotton-Gin; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the aecompanying drawings, making part of this specification- Figure1 being a longitudinal vertical section of the' cotton-gin; Fig. 2, afront elevation thereof, the front side of the hopper or feed-box beingremovedv to show the interior arrangement; Fig. 3, a front View of thebollseparating ribs; Fig. 4, a side view of one of the ribs; Fig. 5, aview of the revolving motescreen.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My improved cotton-gin is designed for ginning cotton which shall nothave been separated from the bolls, and the improvements are mainlyapplied so as to act on the cotton before it shall be subjected to theordinary operation of ginning-that is, of separating the fibers from theseeds. Therefore, the saws B B, grate L, and stripping-brush C, as wellas the general arrangement of the frame A, may be substantially asusual; or the improvements maybe added to any gins of ordinaryconstruction.

Instead of feeding the unginned cotton directly into the roll-box H, itis first placed in a hopper or feed box, G, in front of the rollboX. Thetwo compartments are separated by a breast-board7 or partition, M, asseen in Fig. 1. To this breast-board, at its lower edge, is secured aset of knee-shaped ribs, I I, the lower ends of which reach backwardnearly or quite to the front surface of the ginninggrate L. In fact Icause the lower edge of the breast-board M to be movable and adjustablebackward and forward by means of set-screws a a or a convenientequivalent device, whereby either the cotton-seeds may have a free exitbetween the lower ends of the ribs I I and the grate L, or said ribs maybe moved close to the grate, so as to prevent the escape ofthe seedsthere, as indicated at m, Fig. l. If a sufficient space is left betweenthe ribs and grate, the cotton-seeds, as fast as freed from the fibers,will fall through and escape along l the whole width of the gin; butwhen it is desired to discharge the seeds only in one place, the spacebetween the ribs and grate is closed, and a discharging-outlet formed atone side of the gin by making one or two of the ribs I I shorter thantheothers, as seen at P, Fig. 8, or by providing a spout through theside of the gin. By this arrangement the seeds will iind a vent at oneend, and will gradually work thither from all parts of the roll-box, andin their passage will be more thoroughly deprived of their fibers. Thisis not necessary in some conditions of the cotton, but useful in others.

Hence the advantage of employing sometimes l one mode of discharging theseeds and at other times the other mode. The saws B B pass between these`ribs I I as well as between the ribs of the grate L. The spaces betweenthe ribs are, however, considerably greater than between theginning-ribs, since they are to allow the free passage of thecotton-seeds with the fibers through them; but along the greater part oftheir length, by the side of which the saws extend, the width of thespaces is comparatively small, as indicated at c c, Fig. 8, while aroundwhere the teeth of the saws pass up between the ribs the space isconsiderably enlarged, so as to allow a free passage of the seeds, asshown at b b in the same gure. Just at the rear edge of the breast-boardM the ribs close together.

From the center of the lower side of each rib I a'thin wing, d,projects, extending longitudinally along, su bstantially as represented.These serve to keep the bolls and large impurities, as well as mattedbunches of cotton, away from the ribs sufficiently to allow the saws tohave free passage upward to the ribs. Just below these ribs and thebottom of the hopper or feed-box G is located a cylindrical screen, D,composed of rods g g, or their equivalents, arranged in a circle, asrepresented, the spaces between them beingwide enough to allow theseparated hullsor bolls vto pass down through. The screen revolves inthe direct-ion indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, and serves both to feedalong and sustain the cotton as it comes down from the hopper G, toenable the saws B B to reach and convey it up between the ribs I I intothe roll-box II, and also to discharge the separated bolls between itsrods g g. By this arrangement of the ribs "cleanly separated and brokenbolls are al- I I and revolving seren D, in connection with the saws, Iam enabled to separate the bolls from the cotton, the saws Conveying thestill unginned cotton upward into the roll-box H, whence they draw theiibers through the grate L in the usual manner. The ginning is not amere uninterrupted continuation of the process of conveying theseed-cotton up into the roll-box: I-I, for as soon as the seed-cottonenters the roll-box it unites with the mass already there and forms arevolving roll, 7 in the usual manner, while the saws quit the cottonwhich they iirst introduce into the roll box, and seize other libersfarther up the roll for separating from the seeds. A gate, N, is locatedat the bottom of the hopper G, and is made adjustable by means of thenotched rod f, or other convenient means, so that the quantity oi"cotton let down to the saws may be varied at pleasure, whereby the rollin the roll-box is increased or diminished as required.

Beneath the revolving screen D and a little distance below it is aconcave and nearly concentric grate Q, the use ol' which is to retainany bolls which may pass through the screen not wholly deprived ofcotton, and thus allow the screen as it revolves to convey them up againto the saws. At the same time the lowed to pass through said grate outof the machine.

Besides the above-described improvements which are employed for actingon the cotton previous. to the act of ginning proper, I elnploy ascreen, E, of peculiar construction for separating motcs from the cottonafter it is separated from the seeds. It is located beneath and betweenthe saws B B and strippingbrush C, so as to come in contact with thestripping-brush and as near the saws as may be without interferingtherewith. It is composed of strips 7L 7L of any suitable material,arranged in the form of a cylinder, with narrow spaces i z' between eachother. From the outer surfaces of these strips project at scattering`distances small teeth or rods Z Z of wire or other material ofsufficient strength and stiffness to prevent their being broken or bent.

The whole construction and arrangement of this screen are substantiallyrepresented in Figs."l and 5. It revolves slowly in the directionindicated by the arrow in Fig. l. rIhe spaces 'i 'L' are not absolutelyessential to the i action ofthe screen, but I prefer to use them. Itsoperation is as follows: A s fast as the stripping-brush C strips theiibers from the saws B B the current of air produced by centrifugalaction being in a great measure arrested by the interposition of saidscreen E, much of the fiber is dashed downward freely upon the screen.lOther portions also .adhere to the screen when brought against it bythe passage of the brush. The motes once separated from the iibers fallbetween the teeth or wires of the screen, and ultimately through thescreen or out from the lower side thereof. At the same time the teethhold the bers at their outer ends, and thus subject them to thecleansing action ofthe 'stripping-brush, which finally again seizes thefibers and conveys them away. y

These stiff teeth ZZwith considerable spaces between each other thus actas a screen, and are therefore in this connection entirely differentfrom a mere close brush, which would collect the motes rather thandischarge them.

rIhe screens D and E, as well as the stripping-brush C, are driven bymeans of bands a, p, and s passing from pulleys on the saw-shaft It topulleys on the respective shafts of said screens and brush.

I am aware that a mote-brush has been used in the same relation to astripping-brush and saws which my screen-brush occupies, therefore Idislaim such a combination and arrangement irrespective of the kind ofscreen-brush which I employ.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. The ribs I I, constructed, arranged, and operating in connection withthe saws B B, substantially as herein described.

2. In combination with the ribs I I and saws B B, the revolvingfeeding-screen D, located beneath the feed-box Gr and over the grate Q,substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein specified.

3. rIhe combination of the revolving screenbrush E with thestripping-brush C, when said screen-brush is constructed, operated, andarranged in relation to the brush C and saws B, in the manner described,and for the purpose specified.l

The above specification of my improved cotton-gin signed by me this 31stday of August, 1857. I

DAVID G. OLMSTEAD.

Vitn esses:

It. F. Oscoop, FRANK SMITH.

